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Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew + VIDEO

Slow cooker Guinness beef stew is a comforting stew that’s perfect for a cozy St. Patrick’s Day recipe. A pint of Guinness, chunks of seasoned beef, and simple ingredients are all you need for this easy beef recipe. Instructions to make this in the Instant Pot are also included.  

overhead shot of cooked Guinness beef stew in a black slow cooker

Guinness. While it is a staple in many pubs year-round, I pretty much only drink it on St. Patrick’s Day. If you happen to be getting a case (or two) of Guinness for St. Patrick’s day, set aside a pint for this recipe. 

collage of ingredients for Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew

Ingredients For Guinness Beef Stew

  • Beef: 2 pounds of cut up beef. I used beef stew meat but other cuts like sirloin can be used. See below for more details. 
  • Guinness Beer: The star of this recipe is in the name. You will need a pint of Guinness beer. 
  • Potatoes: Your preferred potato whether it be a waxy potato like red potatoes or even russet potatoes. 
  • Carrots: I used cut up baby carrots. If you like carrots, add more in. Or if you’re like me and don’t care for them too much, use less. 
  • Onion & Garlic: Onion and garlic, simple ingredients but staples in many soups and stews. 
  • Seasonings: The seasonings for this beef stew are simple: salt, pepper, and thyme. 
overhead shot of uncooked Guinness beef stew in a black slow cooker

Before

How To Make Guinness Stew In The Crock-Pot

Slow Cooker

  1. Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker. Stir to mix well.
  2. Cook HIGH 3-4 hours or LOW 6-8 hours.

Instant Pot

  1. Turn on the pressure cooker and select sauté. Once hot, add the oil and the beef and cook a few minutes on each side until browned. Remove the beef and set aside.
  2. Add the onion, carrots, and celery & cook until the veggies are soft, approximately 5-7 minutes.  Add garlic & cook an additional minute. Turn off the Instant Pot.
  3. Add the Guinness beer and beef broth and if needed, deglaze the bottom of the pressure cooker by scraping all the bits off with a wooden spoon.
  4. Stir in beef, potatoes, salt, thyme, and pepper.
  5. Close lid and seal valve. Set high pressure and cook for 20 minutes. When cooking time is done, quick release the pressure.
overhead shot of cooked Guinness beef stew in a black slow cooker

after

How To Make Guinness Beef Stew

Making Guinness beef stew is easy, especially when you use your slow cooker. This a true set-it-and-forget-it recipe where you add all the ingredients to the slow cooker and let it cook. Whether or not you want to take the time to sear the beef beforehand is up to you. As you can see in the pics here, I did not brown my meat, I added the beef in raw. 

overhead shot of cooked Guinness beef stew in a white bowl with a silver spoon

 

What Type Of Beer To Use

I mean, the stew is called Guinness beef stew for a reason. Don’t mess around, just use a pint of Guinness or something comparable. If you  really want to, skip the beer all together. You’ll still a nice stew. If you do chose to omit the beer, add an additional 2 cups of beef broth.

close up shot of cooked Guinness beef stew in a white bowl with a silver spoon

What Kind Of Meat To Use

I usually use beef stew meat but of course that’s not the only option. If you’re not going to use beef stew meat, you can slice up another cut of beef. Suggestions include beef sirloin, beef roast (chuck, rump, round, etc.) or even brisket. The good thing about using the slow cooker or Instant Pot is that even a tough cut of meat like a brisket will be tender when it’s done cooking.

overhead shot of cooked Guinness beef stew in a white bowl

Storing Leftover Beef Stew

If you have leftover Guinness beef stew, you can store or freeze it for later use. Store leftover stew in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To freeze leftover Guinness beef stew, let the stew cool completely. Once cooled, add the stew to an air tight container or freezer-friendly plastic bag. Store the beef stew in your freezer for up to 2 months. To reheat frozen stew, you have two options. You can either thaw the stew overnight  in the refrigerator OR add the stew directly to the slow cooker or Instant Pot & thaw on the warm setting!

close up shot of cooked Guinness beef stew in a white bowl with a silver spoon

FAQs & Tips

  • To make this low-carb & keto friendly, omit the potatoes. 
  • Turn this stew into a soup by adding an additional 2 cups of beef broth.
  • Make this Whole30 compatible by omitting the Guinness and using all beef broth.
  • I used a 6-quart slow cooker or Instant Pot.

St. Patrick’s Day  

Irish Dublin Coddle

Corned Beef & Cabbage Soup

Corned Beef & Cabbage with Potatoes

Corned Beef & Hash Breakfast Casserole

Print
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overhead shot of cooked Guinness beef stew in a black slow cooker

Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 1 review

Slow cooker Guinness beef stew is a comforting stew that’s perfect for a cozy St. Patrick’s Day recipe. A pint of Guinness, lamb or beef, and simple ingredients is all you need for this easy beef stew recipe.

  • Total Time: 4 hours 10 mins
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2 pounds beef stew meat, seasoned with salt & pepper
  • 2 cups Guinness beer
  • 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
  • 1 1/2 potatoes potatoes, chopped
  • 3 medium-size carrots, chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (or more)
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon oil (for Instant Pot)
  • Optional thickener: 2 tablespoons flour + 2 tablespoons water (I used arrowroot starch flour)

Instructions

Slow Cooker

  1. Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker. Stir to mix well.
  2. Cook HIGH 3-4 hours or LOW 6-8 hours.

Instant Pot

  1. Turn on the pressure cooker and select sauté. Once hot, add the oil and the beef and cook a few minutes on each side until browned. Remove the beef and set aside.
  2. Add the onion, carrots, and celery & cook until the veggies are soft, approximately 5-7 minutes.  Add garlic & cook an additional minute. Turn off the Instant Pot.
  3. Add the Guinness beer and beef broth and if needed, deglaze the bottom of the pressure cooker by scraping all the bits off with a wooden spoon.
  4. Stir in beef, potatoes, salt, thyme, and pepper.
  5. Close lid and seal valve. Set high pressure and cook for 20 minutes. When cooking time is done, quick release the pressure.

Notes

If using a thickening agent (example 2 tablespoons arrowroot flour + 2 tablespoons water), mix it together and stir it into the soup after its done cooking.

  • Author: Shannon Epstein
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 4 hours

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 277
  • Sugar: 2.6 g
  • Sodium: 902.4 mg
  • Fat: 5.6 g
  • Saturated Fat: 2 g
  • Carbohydrates: 13.4 g
  • Fiber: 2 g
  • Protein: 36.3 g
  • Cholesterol: 89.4 mg

This post contains affiliate links. That means if you click on one of the product links, I might receive compensation. For more about my disclosure policy see here: https://fitslowcookerqueen.com/about/disclosure-policy/.

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”rIdb8DZz” upload-date=”2022-03-03T08:38:50.000Z” name=”Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew” description=”Slow cooker Guinness beef stew is a comforting stew that’s perfect for a cozy St. Patrick’s Day recipe. Using lamb or beef, this beef stew recipe is simple comfort food at it’s finest. You can also make this stew recipe in the Instant Pot. ” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

Lorenzo

Friday 4th of March 2022

This looks amazing

ashley

Wednesday 21st of March 2018

first off, thank you for this recipe. Yours fits what I have available without going shopping. I am mixing lamb with beef because of the high cost of lamb ($13.00 a pound). I have everything cut up, and in the fridge. Tomorrow, I will dump it all in the slow cooker for 8 to 9 hours. I will let you know how it comes out!

ashley

Tuesday 27th of March 2018

I learned two things when making this stew - 1) I don't like lamb, So I picked out as much as I could. Next time will be prob about 1/2 pound of beef meat of some kind (I don't care for meat that much these days, either). But the veggies, I will probably put a lot more and different ones in. 2) it was very yummy and I hope it freezes well. I had too much left o ver so I broke it down into 8 bowl servings for lunch or supper when I want this stew. Thank you very much for the recipe.

Pauline Stephens

Friday 16th of March 2018

I'm going to try this recipe using mushrooms instead of beef. I can't imagine the yummy flavor that the Guiness brings. Thanks for sharing.

Renée ♥

Friday 16th of March 2018

I make corned beef in beer in the slow cooker every year for St Patrick's Day. I find that Guinness is too strong for that, but it is great for stew!

emman damian

Friday 16th of March 2018

This SLOW COOKER GUINNESS IRISH STEW is so delicious! I should try cooking it next week with my friends coming over for dinner.